Protecting and Honoring Human Rights

At LS&Co., we are focused on ensuring that all people who are touched by our company are treated with dignity and respect. We invest time, energy and resources in making sure that fundamental human rights are upheld for the workers in the mills and manufacturing factories in our supply chain and that their well-being is fostered to create an engaged and productive working community. We forbid any sourcing from regions where there is evidence of systemic forced, child or bonded labor.

Suppliers are required to sign a Master Supply Agreement (MSA), which contains the requirement to comply with our Supplier Code of Conduct and related policies. Our MSA requires that any supplier contracted to produce branded products comply with all rules, regulations and policies of the greater LS&Co. network, including human rights practices and procedures. In addition, our Supplier Code of Conduct has been informed by globally recognized human rights standards and conventions, including but not limited to the:

• International Labour Organization (ILO) Protection of Wages Convention, 1949
• ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 and Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957
• Palermo Protocol, 2000
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 1984

Our Supplier Code of Conduct bans the use of child labor, prison labor, indentured labor, bonded labor and trafficked labor. In addition, because female and migrant workers often face additional vulnerabilities, the Supplier Code of Conduct has a specific section dedicated to anti-discrimination and several provisions to support gender equity in the supply chain. It also covers foreign migrant workers and their rights, including rights in recruitment, employment contracts, remuneration and benefits, worker communication, accommodations and food, social activities, religious practices and repatriation.

We actively support the Better Work Program, a partnership between ILO and IFC focused on protecting human rights and improving working conditions in the apparel industry. Better Work makes targeted investments in our suppliers’ workers, training apparel workers and factory management on their rights and responsibilities in the workplace. In countries where Better Work operates, our suppliers are subject to Better Work assessments to ensure compliance and monitor improvement. Along with national constituents and brand partners, Better Work also engages in national advocacy efforts to influence policies related to workers’ rights and safety in different target countries for long-term sustainable impact.

LS&Co. suppliers must have clear and established company policies to protect workers’ rights and well-being. These company policies must be made publicly available to all workers, in a language they understand, and applied in a standardized fashion throughout the facility. Discrimination in any form is prohibited. All policies must prohibit discrimination based on age, caste, color, disability, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, health status (including HIV and hepatitis B), marital status, pregnancy status, parenthood, nationality, social, national or ethnic origin, migrant worker status, political opinion, race, religion or union affiliation.

Full-time LS&Co. staff located in various countries monitor suppliers’ sustainability and human rights practices and provide capacity building support where needed. To supplement our own monitoring efforts, we use third-party monitors to conduct regular assessments of every factory, key fabric mills and our product licensee suppliers. All third-party monitors understand the scope of our labor, environment, and health and safety standards and know the local languages, laws, culture and business context of each country in which they operate. We are also continuing to shift away from supplier assessments against our own Supplier Code of Conduct to embrace the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) Converged Assessment Framework, which provides greater assessment consistency across the industry.

Within our own operations, we maintain and enforce accountability procedures for employees and contractors regarding company standards on human rights. Our Worldwide Code of Business Conduct establishes the expectations we have of our employees. LS&Co. does not tolerate workplace violence, discrimination or harassment of any kind by any employee. We also promote a safe working environment, and our employees share responsibility to obey health and safety rules and policies, report accidents and raise any unsafe working conditions to supervisors immediately.